According to HollywoodReporter some unknown sources say that the Xbox 360 from Microsoft will see a $50 price reduction next month to try to boost up sales of the game console. The price cut is expected on August 8th to be exact, but it was not clear whether the price cut would be on the Core, Pro, Elite or all three.

Many expected some type of price reduction announcement at E3 this year, but were met with disappointment as no such announcement was made, and Microsoft is neither confirming nor denying plans for a reduction in the price coming up.

The rumored August 8th announcement date may actually have some meaning since shortly after that “Madden NFL 08″ will be coming out along with titles “BioShock” and “John Woo Presents Stranglehold” coming later in the month which would help …

At the Microsoft E3 press conference held last night in Santa Monica there was lots of news about the company’s plans for “Halo 3″, set for release on September 25. First up is a new Xbox 360 console decorated in Spartan green and gold trim. While Microsoft didn’t say what the exact date of availability for the Halo 3 edition Xbox 360 would be, it’s likely to be the same day that the third “Halo” game comes out. The Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition console will include a 20GB hard drive, a headset, and a play and charge kit all decked out in the green and gold motif. There will also be two new special edition game controllers that you can pick up featuring a more space-y blue color decor.

Microsoft also showed off a new “Halo 3″ trailer directed by Neill Blomkamp, the same fellow …

We’ve been waiting for this QWERTY controller attachment for the Xbox 360 since we first heard about it last April and now we’ve finally got a price, release date and a name to go along with it.

The device has been dubbed the “Chatpad” and will come bundled with an Xbox 360 headset as part of the “Messenger Kit” from Microsoft. This kit runs $29.99 which really isn’t out of line from what we were expecting for the keyboard alone. The headset just turned out to be kind of a bonus whether you really wanted one or not. Keep in mind though that this kit is for the keyboard attachment and headset only; no controller comes with it.

Expect to see the Messenger Kit from Microsoft start shipping September 4th.

Microsoft is standing behind their product in response to growing complaints of hardware failure in their game console. Starting over the next few days globally, they are extending their warranty to 3 years. This warranty will cover and Xbox 360 that is newly purchased or has purchased one in the past, and is good for three years from the date of the purchase.

The extended warranty period however only applies to hardware issues identified by 3 flashing red lights on the console, which Microsoft has found and corrected issues for future Xbox’s, and covers the repair and any shipping costs. If you’ve already had your Xbox 360 repaired due to the 3 red light issue, Microsoft will also reimburse you any fees incurred for the repair.

This new extended warranty was announced through an open …

Die hard fans of the uber violent game series Grand Theft Auto are certainly looking forward to getting their hands on Grand Theft Auto IV when it ships later this year. They may even get more excited when they check out the Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition just announced for around $90.

The Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition looks like a sweet package. You obviously get the game plus some other swag, all delivered to you in a customized metal safety deposit box. This box holds an art book showcasing scenes from the game, a soundtrack CD with tunes exclusive to it, a Rockstar key chain which holds the keys to the box and a duffel bag to hall around your stolen goods in.

Namco Bandai is partnering with game controller maker Hori to offer a bundled package for the release of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. The bundle will include the game along with an Ace Combat 6 faceplate for the Xbox 360 and the Ace-Edge Flightstick accessory, which is the first flight simulator accessory made for the Xbox 360.

The Ace-Edge Flightstick controller consists of two pieces; a throttle controller and a separate flight stick. Both will be branded with the Ace Combat 6 design. This will be a limited edition bundle planned for this coming holiday season retailing for $149.99. Ace Combat 6 by itself is planned for release later this year for $59.99.

via Kotaku

There’s some proof in numbers when it comes to recent game console sales and lately the Nintendo Wii seems to have the magic formula. It looks like Microsoft may have been taking some notes on the Wii’s success and in a report from Bloomberg they hint at a price cut coming for the Xbox 360.

“We are well aware that the sweet spot of the market is really 199 bucks,’” said David Hufford, director of Xbox product management, in the Bloomberg report. The current Xbox 360 sells for $300 to $400 depending on the model, and the Xbox 360 Elite goes for $480.

Microsoft also says it has plans of bringing on more family-targeted games and re-organizing retail displays to bring more attention to these types of titles, which also falls in …

Jonesing for some old school pellet munching gameplay? Have you found yourself reminiscing about chasing after flashing blue ghosts? Finally, do you have an Xbox 360? If you’ve answered yes to all these questions then $10 will get you a download of “Pac Man Championship Edition” via Xbox Live. Starting today the new Pac Man game is available from Microsoft’s online game service. It’s the final farewell given to fans by the original game’s creator, Toru Iwatani, who is retiring at the ripe old age of 52 to teach the next generation of game designers at Tokyo’s Polytechnic University.

“Pac Man Championship Edition” was created by Iwatani for the finalists competing at the Xbox 360 Pac Man World Championship in New York City which ended yesterday. The new game updates the original Pac Man but still keeps the action in a …

A couple of weeks ago Microsoft started banning mod’d Xbox 360 game consoles from Xbox Live (just the consoles, not the user accounts). The modified consoles were able to play copies of games which Microsoft felt was not fair to everyone. Due to this Microsoft started detecting the game consoles when users would log on, and banning them from Xbox Live when found.

Now, in just a matter of days the hacker community has volleyed back to Microsoft with firmware called called iXtreme Firmware 1.0 which when installed will prevent Microsoft from detecting the modified game console and hence avoid any potential banning. I’m sure it’ll now just be just a matter of time until Microsoft retaliates. Game on!

Source: Xbox360FanBoy

Until recently Xbox 360 owners were able to download a firmware hack which allowed them to play backed-up games and essentially boot-legged copies of games on their game console. They were also able to participate with them on Xbox Live seemingly without any notice from Microsoft, but that appears to have changed.

Apparently with the recent Spring Update earlier this month and coinciding with the beta release of Halo 3, Microsoft has shown that they are able to detect and ban those consoles with modified firmware. When consoles with the modified firmware is detected users will receive an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D). As a result, Microsoft is permanently banning modified console from the Xbox Live service, but they are not banning the individual user account. When trying to connect through the modified …

Now that the Simpsons have a new feature film heading for the big screen Fox has teamed up with Microsoft to make a shiny yellow Simpsons-themed Xbox 360 to help promote the movie. The 360 case and controller have been given a glossy coat of Simpsons-yellow paint along with a big picture of the top half of Homer’s head on the side.

For those of you that are Simpsons collectors or Xbox Collectors, actually getting your hands on one of these Simpson’s Xbox’s might prove to be difficult as Microsoft is only making 100 of them. The units that they do make will be used to be given out and different events and promotions for the Simpsons movie.

According to Engadget the Simpsons game will actually not be coming with the unit as you might think, and Microsoft has skimped a little bit on the …

Microsoft has released the Spring Update for the Xbox 360 which is now available for 360 owners to download through their console. The Spring Update promises to increases communications through integrating with Windows Live Messenger and cut down on downloads that are not intended for your geographical area.

With the Messenger compatibility, Xbox 360 owners will be able to add up to 600 Messenger contacts to their Live account in addition to the 100 gamertag contacts. Up to 20 contacts can be on the same conversation and as many as six conversations can be held at one time.

Some other features in the updated dashboard include achievement pop-ups that contain more details such as showing what the achievement was and it’s value right in the pop-up. Microsoft has improved on providing downloadable content, including the ability to watch …

Now that you’ve had some time to brush up on your skills with your old-school arcade games, Xbox Live is planning a worldwide Pac-Man championship on Xbox Live Arcade.

Microsoft, along with Namco Bandai Games and Quiznos as a sponsor, will be presenting the first ever Pac-Man championship beginning April 25th and ending May 9th. Finalists will judged by the best Xbox Live Arcade leaderboard scores in 7 different countries around the world. One additional finalist will be named not necessarily by their game skills, but by how convincing they are in a video that shows why they are the biggest Pac-Man fan ever.

The finalists will be flown to New York City on June 5th for the final competition, and one person will be crowned the first Pac-Man world champion by Toru Iwatani, who is the original creator of ‘Pac-Man.’

As if …

Microsoft has revealed its plans to launch a QWERTY style handheld keyboard add-on for its Xbox 360 game controller. In a company press release Microsoft said that the keyboard will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging even though they released a photo of what appears to be a keyboard/game controller that’s one unit. Maybe there will be both the keyboard add-on and a keyboard controller? It seems that we’ll know in a month or two.

In any case Microsoft is making this move because it will be launching its Windows Live Messenger service on Xbox 360 the week of May 7. Now the console gamers can chat with those that have MSN on their PCs and WMAs. However, before you start having visions of chatting away to your buds while playing “Gears of War”, …

“Any day now” was right when the Brick reported a week ago that a press release would be coming soon from Microsoft announcing a release of the highly anticipated, upgraded Xbox 360. The new console will be called the Xbox 360 Elite and comes with some upgrades to both the feature set and the price.

In an attempt to further improve the overall appeal of the Xbox 360 Microsoft has upgraded the game console by increasing its hard drive capacity 6 fold bringing it to 120 gigabytes, as well as adding an HDMI video connection to send out high definition video content. The 360 Elite will also hold true to rumors by shipping with a black case, black wireless controllers and black Xbox Live headset.

The new 360 Elite will retail for $480 (up $80 from the 20 gigabyte version) and will …